Weft detecting mechanism for drop box looms



June 11, 1935. Q. VJPAYNE 2,004,341

' WEFT DETECTING MECHANISM FOR DROP BOX LOOMS Original Filed May 31,1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG 1 Q'nASeJ'd-QM" (5 scar-1S Pax ne WYM (LtL-ornega June '11, 1935. o. v. PAYNE 2,004,341

WEFT DETECTING MECHANISM FOR DROP BOX LOOMS Original Filed May 31, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Qmlentor 65cm U. Pique (Lttornegs I o. v. PAYNE WEFT DETECTING MECHANISM FOR DROP BOX LOOMS June 11,.1935.

3 Sheets-Shet 3 Original Filed. May 51, 1932 M ti. ornexss @scar U .Pin ne J r HMMH a Patented June 1 1, 1935 V WEFT DETECTING MECHANISM FOR DROP i f BOXLOOMS if I v 1 Oscar V. Payne} Leicester;- IMa s sJfassignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Wor Worcester, Mass a corporation of Massachusetts] f v gApis icationMay 3;; 1932, Serial No. 614393 1 l 1 I i Renewed January 3,*1935 M r v p r 3 Claims; (011 1394391 I e g y .p

This invention-relates to devic's for detecting with a layend 14, ifixe'd theretogand'havingver--v substantial exhaustion of weft'ina shuttle which tical' guide-ways I5Jf'or a setlof' drop boxes 20; is active or about to become active in a multi-' indicated Fig. 3 as. having four compartments to receive four-superposed shuttlesS; The upper UNITED omcfi k shuttle drop box loom;

My invention is particularly designed for use shuttlers'is indicated as substantially exhausted I with loom stopping mechanism butmay be adapt and the other shuttles as: eachhaving a substaned to' init'iate weft'replenislunent. 3 j tial amount of weft thereon. 1 i

It'- is the general object ofinyinverition to pro-, The drop boxes 20 are mounted on the upper n vide improved andsimplified ineans 'j for giving end'ofaliftertrodfl22, guided inabearing 23' on an indication of substantial weftex'hau'stion'for a bracket or stand 24, secured to the end: of the V the shuttle which is activeorabout to become rock shaftl'3.] Thelifter rodiandidrop'boxesare' active, and'ior determining suoh shuttlewithout moved vertically' by a chain 25 controlled by suitreference tothepattern' mechanism'of the loom. ablepattern and box shifting' mechanism (not To the accomplishment offlthis object inthe shown).-

preferre'd forniyI provide aseparate' detector f or 1 The parts thus arel'ormay be 0f each shuttlegpermanently associatedwith'itsasthe"usualfcommercial" type and in themselves signed shuttlebo'x} Iicause all Off-Said. detectors form no part of my' present "invention; for the tube moved to detectingposition just prior to the purposes: of. which I I provide'fla stand 30' (Figs. picking of a shuttle and after the shifting of the land'Bifirmly secured bysbolts 3Iandi32 toiupper boxes is largely complete f and lower portions'of'thedrop box structure 20. Q L I also provide means by which onedetector only l The stand .370 is provided with four laterally completes an indication for any oneposition of projecting arms orsupports'33, on each of which theshuttle boxes, which indication is for the a'weft detectingdvice is-mounted: This deshuttle in active positionor about to become ac-- tecting device comprises a base or holderl 35 tive. fi"" j invention further relates to arrangements ports 33 previously described, "and a slide 36 and combinations of parts which will be; hereinmounted in suitable guide-ways in. the base 35. afterde'scribed and more particularly pointed'ou't Adetectbr 31 is pivoted at 38 on. each slide 36 in the appendedclaimsfl f 1 l I and is limited inmovement'relativethereto in i A preferred form of the invention is shownjin one direction by astop'pin 39 (Fig. 5). Aspring 30 the drawings, in which 1 f I i 40 yieldingly holds the detector 31in the position Fig l i's' affront elevation, partly in section shown in Figs. 5; 6 and'7. v I of portions of a loomhaving myimprove'd detect- When the detectorgfl engages 'aweft carrier 35 ing mechanism appliedtheretof or bobb;in B havinga sufiicient supply ofweft the line 2-4 in Fig". 1; V wise or slipping movement-and is pushed directly Fig, 3 is a sectional end elevation oi the parts forward; moving the slide 36 along its guide-ways shown in Fig; '1, and taken along the line 3 -3 in the base-35 butwithout any turning movement in Fig-1; 5 of the detector 31. If, however, thesupply of Fig. 4 is a detail sectional plan view, taken 'weit on the'weft carrier B is substantially exk alongthe line 44 in'Fig". '3; p hausted, the detector-31: willslide along the butt Fig. 5 is a planfview ofcertain parts shown in of the weft carrier, moving to the positionindi Fig. 1, and Y i catedinjFige. Thi lcauses aforwardly extend- Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9*are diagrammaticplan views, ing portion 4|" of the; detector to swing outward adapted to bersecured to one of the arms or sup- Fig; 2 is adetaillsectional elevation; takenalong thereon, the detectoriis held thereby-from side- 35 illustrating the method of operation of the inand engage a contact'plate'fl; by which engagevention; 1 ment a circuitfthroughsuitableloom-stopping Referring to the drawings, I have shown pormechanism (not shown) is completed and the tions of a drop box loom including a loom side In loom is thus broughtto rest.

5 andalay mounted onswords l2 and swinging Any suitable form of electrically controlled 'ontheusualrockshait I3, The lay II is provided loom stopping mechanism may be utilized, as

this mechanism and also the weft detector in themselves form no part of my present invention. For a more complete disclosure of the de tails and operation of the weft detector, reference is made to my prior Pat. 1,738,198, issued Dec. 3, 1929.

I have made special provision for normally maintaining the weft detectors in a forward or inoperative position except for a very brief period justbefore the picking of a shuttle. For this purpose I provide each slide 36 with an Lip-turned front end portion 44, positioned for engagement by studs 55 projecting laterally from an upright bar 48 (Fig. 1) mounted in the upper end of a supporting bar 41.

.The hub 48 of the arm 41 is fixed to the upper end of an actuating shaft shown as being square or otherwise non-circular in section in its lower portion. The upper or cylindrical portion of the rod 59 is mounted in a bearing'5l on an arm 52 formed as an extension of the feeler stand or support 30 which is movable with the drop boxes. The rod 50 extends downward through a square opening in the hub 6|] (Fig.2) of an actuating arm roll 62. The arm 61 .is rotatably mounted in a bearing 64 at the outer end of an arm 65, bolted toa downwardly offset member 66, which in turn is'bolted .tothe under side of the lay end 14. Collars 61 (Fig. 2); prevent upward or downward displacement of the hub 60.

With this construction, it will be evident that an operative connection is provided between the arm BI and the. arm 41 in every vertical position of the rod 50. r K

The'cam roll 62 is positioned adjacent a cam block 10, bolted to a bracket H on the loom'side ID,- and having a raised portion 12 and a depressed portion 13. As the lay moves rearward, the shaft 59, arm (5! and roll GZwill also move rearward and the cam roll62 will be moved tothe high portion 12 of the cam block 10, thus moving-the arm 41 from the position shown in Fig. 6 and in dotted lines in Fig. 5'to the position shown in Fig. 7 and in full lines in Fig 5, in which latter position the studs 45 engage the up-turned ends 44 of the slides 36 and draw all of the weftdetectors 31 forward to inoperative position and entirely out of the associated shuttles. When the lay moves forward and the cam roll 62 reaches the depressed cam portion 13, a springactuated link 15 swings the arm 6| and arm 41 and associated. parts to the positionindicated in vFig. 6,. thus restoring the weft detectors to the control of the separate detector springs 40. Each detector is then moved rearward by its separate spring into the associated shuttle box and engages the weft on the weft carrier or bobbin B therein.

If the weft in any one of the shuttles, such as the upper shuttle S, is substantially exhausted, the-corresponding detector 31 will swing about its pivot 38, as indicated in Fig. '9. If this particular shuttle is substantially in active position, the swinging detector will engage the contact plate 42 and complete the loom stoppingcircuit. If on the other hand the swinging detector is associated with a shuttle substantially out of active position, the detector will be too high or too low to engage the contact plate 42 and no indication of substantial weft exhaustion will be given.

Under certain weaving conditions, the shifting of the shuttle boxes is not completed until after the lay has passed front center. It is obviously 6| (Fig. 1) provided with a cam necessary to prevent release and operation of the weft detectors until the movement of the boxes is so far completed that the wrong detector cannot engage the contact plate 42.

For this reason, I provide an auxiliary cam block 80 (Fig. l) mounted on a bell crank 8| pivoted at 82 on a downwardly projecting portion ward by a raised portion of the cam 88, the auxiliary cam block 80 will be moved outward to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 8, in which position the cam roll 62 is prevented from engaging the depressed portion 13 of the cam block 10. The weft detectors 31 will thus be held in forward position until the cam roll 81 enters a depressed portion of the double cam 88.

In this way it is possible to hold the weft detectors inoperative for any desired portion of the loom cycle. ,In actual operation, the feelers under certain conditions are thus held inoperative until the lay has reached or even passed front center. i

With my auxiliary cam block, the detectors may be rendered operative for any desired portion of the loom cycle, it being only necessary that sufficient time for an indication be provided before the roll 62 (Fig. 6) reachesthe rise on the cam block 10, which pointis reached on the rearward stroke substantially at top center and at the time when picking occurs. I p

, While thefinal limit ofindication is thus fixed, the beginning of indication maybe variedby changing the outline or setting of the cam 88.

The beginning of indication is preferably so 'selected that the drop box movement is largely completed before the detectors are released. Otherwise a detector not associated with a shuttlewhich is active or about to become active may engage the contact plate 42.

taneously withdraw all of said weft detectors from operative positionfor a major portion of the loom cycle, said means comprising a fixed cam block having raised and depressed portions and a cooperating cam followermounted toswing with the lay and connected to withdraw said weft detectors, and additional means to vary the duration of the inoperative period for said detectors.

2. In a loom having a plurality of drop boxes, in combination, a separate side-slipping and nor-. mally inoperative weft detector permanently associated with each drop box, means'tosimultaneously withdraw all of said weft detectors from operatitve position fora major portion of the loom cycle, said means comprising a fixed cam block having raised and depressed portions and a cooperating cam follower mounted to swing with the lay and connected to withdraw said weft de-,- tectors, and additional means to vary the duration of the inoperative period for said detectors, said additional means comprising a member mounted adjacent said cam block and movable to temporarily prevent said cam follower from moving into the depressed portion of said cam block, and automatic means to move said member.

3. In a loom having a plurality of drop'boxes, in combination, a separate side-slipping and normally inoperative weft detector permanently as sociated with each drop box, means to simultaneously withdraw all of said weft detectors from operative position for a major portion of the loom cycle, said means comprising a fixed cam block having raised and depressed portions'and a cooperating cam. follower mounted to swing with the lay and, connected to withdraw said weft detectors, and additional means to vary the duration of the inoperatvie period for said detectors, said additional means comprising a member mounted adjacent said cam block and movable to temporarily prevent said cam follower from moving into the depressed portion of said cam block, and a constantly rotated cam vco ected tomove said member.

OSCAR V. PAYNE. 

